Blessed Beyond Measure

In times when we see and hear more bad news than good - when we wonder what in the world has happened to compassion and true generosity in our fellow man, we can every now and then hear of those who still put character and compassion as a priority in their lives.
I came across one such person yesterday.
I had to call an endodontist last week to make an appointment for a root canal - not something I was looking forward to, even though I'd been to this office before, and knew that the staff there were kind and compassionate towards my fears.
My first blessing came when I paid for the procedure before going in. They were giving me the same price as I paid last year, even though they'd gone up since. So I handed the receptionist cash, in the amount she had quoted me over the phone when making the appointment. She smiled and said, "Oh you get some back". I was like....."WHAAAAAAAAAT?" She said because I was paying cash, I got $100 of it back. Well that was totally unexpected, and made the pain in the pocketbook a little less severe....lol
When Dr. Sinopoli came in to take a gander at the tooth he was going to be working on and to numb the area, he left to go check on another patient while the anesthetic took affect. Before he stepped away though, he noticed that I was wearing my Army Parent pin, that Dude had sent to me last year when he was in basic training.
He inquired if I had a son or daughter currently serving, and I told him about my Dude, how he would be leaving in February for Iraq, and how I would get to go spend four family days with him prior to his deployment, and most importantly, how very proud of my son I am. He said, "Well you should be!"
He did my root canal, which wasn't as painful or traumatic of a procedure as I'd expected, and once again went to check on another patient while the dental assistant put a temporary filling in. He comes back to check her work and says, "Janelle, I have something for you". I had no idea what he was talking about.
He had two fifty dollar bills in his hand and said "This is for you". I said, "Thanks, but Kathy up front already gave me the discount for paying cash" and how appreciative I was.
Now here's where it REALLY gets good!
He put those fifties in my hand and said, "This has nothing to do with that - this hundred is from ME. When you go see your son before he is deployed, I want you to take him out to a really nice supper on me and to tell him THANK YOU for serving our country".
All I could do was ball like a baby - I never in my life would expect that from anyone, but especially my endodontist! I hugged him and told him that I pray God would bless him in every way for his kindness and compassionate heart.
I got out to the reception area where my sister Deb was waiting for me and she saw I was crying and was concerned that it was because I was hurting. I told her that Dr. Sinopoli just blew me away with a blessing I'd tell her about when we got to the car.
The receptionist asked me the same thing - "Are you OK Janelle?". I said I was, but was just overwhelmed at something Dr. Sinopoli had done for me.
All the girls in the reception area smiled and said that he had come out there and told them he was going to do that. They too, all wished me the best and to thank my precious son for his commitment to serve our country.

If you live in the central Florida area - Lake County in particular, and are in need of an endodontist, you need to call the office of Dr. Sinopoli in Clermont. He and his entire staff truly put the concerns, the fears and the anxieties of their patients as top priority, and do everything they can to make it as comfortable of a procedure as humanly possible.

Thank you Lord, that you pour out your blessings on us in so many ways - especially when we least expect it!

The Christmas Store

Today, Bill and I are going down to The Christmas Store, an outreach by our church, 1st Baptist, Leesburg.
Families who need help at this time of the year with providing a little something for their children, will come and get ministered the love of Jesus, then get to "shop" for presents for their little ones.
We will be in the wrapping area, and will escort the parent(s) to their cars with their packages, then walk over with them to get their children from the area where they've been playing and also being taught about the love of Jesus .
I am so blessed to be able to contribute a few hours out of my Saturday to do whatever the Lord leads me to do and/or say, to these families who need support and the knowledge that there are people out there who truly care about their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
In my favorite movie of all time, "Miracle on 34th St.", "Santa" says to Maureen O'Hara, "Christmas isn't just a day, it's a way of living".
That says it all to me - that we should have the same spirit of giving, of love, and of compassion year round, and put that into action each and every day.

UPDATE: We just got home, and I feel more blessed than the recipients of the gifts!
There were over 600 children registered to receive Christmas presents, and I got the pleasure of spending time with and helping probably 10 - 12 sets of parents pick out their presents for their children; some only had a couple of children, and then there were quite a few who had up to 7 or 8 kids!
Many were single moms, and you could tell how appreciative they were. It truly was a blessing to be able to minister Jesus in this way.
Each child received one large and one small gift, and the parents were given a Bible and The Jesus Movie, along with some literature explaining the plan of salvation through Christ.
A group of teen boys were eagerly helping take the packages out to the cars, and then escort the parents to pick up their children.
Have a blessed Saturday, and remember that Jesus IS the reason for the season.

Partiality

I'm starting on the second chapter of James today, which first instructs us on how we need to be fair in treating others. He starts out by once again, calling us 'brothers' - this is speaking to those who are Christian belivers. Vs 1 - 7
"My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man with shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes, and say, ' Here's a good seat for you', but say to the poor man, 'You stand there', or 'Sit on the floor by my feet', have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? LISTEN my dear brothers. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him. But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of Him to whom you belong"?
I remember back in the 70s, when men were starting to wear their hair longer, and I saw first hand how some were "welcomed" when visiting our church. You'd hear whispers, and not witness many who would speak or welcome them to the service. As a teen, and very impressionable, I couldn't understand why this was.
We had an evangelist from Scotland come to preach a revival; his name was Ian Leitch. I remember him so well because he was probably in his late 20s, early 30s, and he came into church to preach wearing jeans, casual shirt, a big leather watch, and had hair down over his ears (which to my parents and others was lonnnnnnnng hair). I was drawn to every word he said in his Scottish accent. He spoke with kindness, and preached with power! Although I knew the older members of the church weren't thrilled with his appearance, the normal whispers weren't there as much, because he was the nephew of one of the older members. He was welcomed more than a regular person walking in off the street, who would be similar in appearance. Again, I was confused.
I think though, that when the ones who seemed to judge him on his appearance saw that he was filled with the Spirit of God, and brought many to come to believe in him and accept him as Lord and Savior - their eyes were opened somewhat.
We all need to be careful in how we look at and judge others based solely on their appearance. Our Lord didn't parade around in fancy clothes - he was humble, and hung out with the crowd that the leaders - the Scribes and Pharisees despised. They called our Lord all kinds of names, accusing him of associating with "sinners". He quickly rebuked them for their pious attitudes and vicious words.
Our prayer should be that we see everyone through the eyes of the Lord - that we take the time to get past what their outer appearance looks like, and look into their eyes; the very place that the Lord called the window of our hearts. It's amazing at what our eyes reflect - they can be bright and full of light, or they can reflect sadness and despair. Take the time to allow the Lord not only to show you the "real" person inside, but also to trust him to give you what you need to be an example of him in their lives.
Have a blessed Friday - pray for our leaders, and for them to seek God for his wisdom in leading our country. Pray for our soldiers - one of which I am a mother to, and pray that you will be effective today, in your witness to the grace and love of our Lord Jesus.

Janelle